62 LGBTs to Contest Elections in Nepal

Editor (Asia South)

KATHMANDU — This year’s race for Nepal’s Constituent Assembly has become hotter. In a historic move, 62 LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) candidates will also contest the elections to be held in November later this year. The candidates are going to contest the elections in the hope of better representation of the LGBT community in the ‘pro-Hindu’ country. The Blue Diamond Society, the largest LGBT organisation in Nepal, announced the move.

Nepal became a beacon of LGBT rights in 2007 after a court ruling that established broad rights for “third gender” people. But implementation of the decision has stalled mainly because of the paralysis of the country’s government, which has been in deadlock over the creation of a new constitution.

Nepal has been without a legislature since May 2012, when the Constituent Assembly was dissolved by the then Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai.

In addition to the authorities, Maoists are also known to use violence against sexual minorities, including a campaign to ask landlords not to rent houses to them.

The political chaos in recent months has led to deterioration of the situation for LGBTs in recent months. In the given circumstances, it is indeed very good news for the LGBTs residing in the country.

Excited about the prospect of contesting in the elections, one of the candidates, Bhumika Shrestha, said, “As the political parties failed to provide us proper space in the past, we faced hard time to secure our identity. I have planned to fight the election from the Nepali Congress and hope that other parties will also include the LGBTs in the election, keeping in mind our population.”

(with inputs from agencies)

Image Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons (Benson Kua)